the first season finale of the CW Network supernatural fantasy series The Vampire Diaries. "The Master Plan" received generally positive reviews. Matt Fowler of IGN said the budget problems created strong character development potential for Leslie and comedic opportunities for Ron. Fowler also enjoyed that the normally-dissolute Tom formed an authentic romantic connection, and said Chris Pratt brought "a certain naturalness" to a role that could otherwise have been overly idiotic. Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club strongly praised the episode, praising Rob Lowe and the entire regular cast. She declared Parks and Recreation the best television show since Arrested Development, and said, "As much as I like the '50 jokes a minute' style of comedies ... I'm a sucker for a show where the characters are as well-wrought and as purely funny as they are on this show." HitFix writer Alan Sepinwall praised the implementation of the new characters, particularly the fact that the script did not rely too heavily on them. Sepinwall also said the episode balanced well the workplace humor with the romantic subplots between Leslie and Ben, April and Andy, and Ann and Chris. New York Daily News writer David Hinckley said Lowe and Scott were strong additions to the show, and that Scott's character in Parks was better than his character in Party Down. Hinckley said the humor "remains happily rooted in the show's eccentric characters", although he said some of the jokes, like Andy's "November" song "sometimes feels like a series of short sketches instead of a show". New York magazine writer Steve Kandell described Lowe as entertaining but "one-note", but said Adam Scott was "much more promising and nuanced", with better potential for a romantic interest for Leslie than previous guest stars like Will Arnett and Justin Theroux. Kandell felt Schneider's imminent departure from the series seemed unceremonious, and praised Nick Offerman's reactions of "unbridled ecstasy" at the idea of cutbacks and the government shutdown. Eric Hochberger of TV Fanatic expressed doubt about the long-term effectiveness of Lowe's character, and said the April and Andy subplot felt "dragged out for yet another week". However, he praised the script, the addition of Scott, and the performance of the entire cast, especially Rashida Jones and Aziz Ansari. Hochberger said, "I'm not convinced Parks and Recreation could have a bad episode at this point in the season." TV Squad writer Kona Gallagher felt "The Master Plan"